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Medical treatment of prolactinomas

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Abstract

The place of dopamine-receptor agonist drugs in the management of hyperprolactinaemic states has now been firmly established and in the last few years these drugs have been used increasingly as primary treatment in patients with small and large prolactinomas. The purpose of this chapter is not to argue the relative merits of medical and surgical treatment of prolactinomas, but to review the effects of dopaminergic drug therapy in patients with prolactinomas with respect to (1) their effectiveness in restoring normal fertility in hyperprolactinaemic women; (2) their effect on tumour volume; and (3) their effect on the natural history of hyperprolactinaemia. We shall refer, briefly, to the use of low-dose, pulsatile therapy with the luteinizing hormone-releasing hormone (LH-RH) as an alternative means of induction of ovulation in hyperprolactinaemic patients in whom dopaminergic drug treatment has been unsuccessful.

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References

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H. S. Jacobs R. F. Harrison J. Bonnar W. Thompson

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© 1984 MTP Press Limited

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Franks, S., Jacobs, H.S. (1984). Medical treatment of prolactinomas. In: Jacobs, H.S., Harrison, R.F., Bonnar, J., Thompson, W. (eds) Prolactinomas and Pregnancy. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-011-6355-2_5

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-011-6355-2_5

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Dordrecht

  • Print ISBN: 978-94-011-6357-6

  • Online ISBN: 978-94-011-6355-2

  • eBook Packages: Springer Book Archive

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